The Czech edition of National Geographic has been criticised for homophobic and transphobic content in the January edition of the magazine.
In an to the Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic, a Czech transgender rights group - Trans*parent - has expressed outrage at the images, content, and translations used in the Gender Revolution issue.
In the US version, the cover featured a powerful photograph of Avery Jackson, the 9-year-old transgender activist, while the Czech cover featured an illustration of bathroom symbols that the Trans*parent says oversimplifies the topic.
“The Czech edition of your January issue has some original content which can be, without any exaggeration, characterised as transphobic.
“We assume you are familiar with the cover that was chosen for this issue in our country, and while we do think the image of bathroom signs oversimplifies the topic and neglects its deeply personal substance, it really is only the beginning.”
The group goes on to highlights a number of “inaccurate translations stemming from carelessness about the topic”.
In the issue, ‘agender’ has been replaced with ‘asexuál’, ‘queer’ is explained to mean ‘f****t’, 'nonbinary' was translated as ‘pansexual’ and ‘straight female’ becomes ‘normální žena’ (normal woman).
Trans*parent says they believe the magazine will “not stand for the dehumanising and disparaging way in which its non-cisgender readers have been portrayed".
They conclude: “We believe National Geographic realises how vital it is — particularly in the current political climate — to respect and protect the basic human dignity of those who are so frequently marginalised.”
